Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality: Isfahan Cohort Study Publisher Pubmed

Summary: A study found red meat may lower stroke risk but raise heart disease death risk, a surprising contrast. #HeartHealth #Nutrition

Grau N¹ ; Mohammadifard N² ; Hassannejhad R³ ; Haghighatdoost F⁴ ; Sadeghi M⁵ ; Talaei M⁶ ; Sajjadi F⁷ ; Mavrommatis Y⁸ ; Sarrafzadegan N^{1, 9}
Source: International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition Published:2022

Abstract

To investigate the cardiovascular risks associated with red and/or processed meat intake in a large population-based cohort study in Iran. A total of 5432 participants from the Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS) were enrolled. Diet was assessed using a validated, 48-item food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the CVD risk associated with red and processed meat intake. Median follow-up was 11.2 years. Compared to the first tertile, the highest tertile of red meat intake, either alone or in combination with processed meat was associated with a 50% reduced risk of stroke (95% CI: 0.31–0.77; 95% CI: 0.33–0.82, respectively), but increased risk of CVD mortality with corresponding HRs of 1.58 (95% CI: 1.06–2.35) and 1.47 (95% CI: 1.02–2.08), respectively. Red meat and red plus processed meat intake were inversely associated with stroke risk, but positively linked with CVD mortality. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.